Previously on Legends: The world’s most brilliant scientist Dr. Isaac Calu and his close friend George Richardson, aka Gira, were flung across the galaxy by a mysterious cosmic event. After Gira acquired a magic sword and the two commandeered a space ship from a band of space pirates, the duo began their long journey home. During their travels, they followed a distress signal leading to an abandoned space station. They encountered a variety of terrible monsters who had invaded the station. Thankfully, they managed to escape while rescuing the last survivor, a mysterious alien girl. However, as they left the station, they discovered the girl had come down with a horrible affliction turning her into one of the monsters. Gira had only one thought on his mind, they needed to help this poor girl before it was too late.
Gira’s vision was filled with a view of a massive, mountainous jungle. The trees seemed to stretch on forever, their trucks as thick as buildings. The plant life was lush and colorful, filled with exotic fruits the size of people, and flowers the size of cars. It would be almost impossible for an average person to navigate this environment unaided. Not only because the environment was massive, but it was also home to some magnificent, colossal creatures.
Gira could see them, gigantic animals that resembled ones he was familiar with. Yet, they lacked fur and feather and instead possessed rock-like hides. Grand birds with wingspans measured in dozens of meters. Apes that towered over the treeline. A pack of wolves that could bound over mountains. Bulls large enough to stampede through mountains. Yet, despite their size and strength, Gira was not afraid of the creatures. Something about them felt comfortable and safe.
Finally, the black-haired man’s focus shifted to one of the creatures, in particular, one that resembled a lion. It was just as colossal as the other creatures, yet it stood out from the rest. Its mane was made of flame, its body a mixture of red and orange hues. The beast posed proudly on a mountain top, a sun rising behind it. It looked ahead, it’s eyes staring right into Gira’s and Gira looking back into its own. A familiar sensation moved through Gira, something he couldn’t quite put his finger on. However, as the déjà vu reached its height, he was snapped back to reality.
~--~
“Gira, wake up,” Dr. Calu shook his friend.
“What a weird dream,” the black-haired man rubbed his eyes. “Where are we?” Gira observed the unfamiliar surroundings, a stark, white hallway. He looked down to notice he had fallen asleep in an oddly shaped plastic chair that wasn’t quite the right size for him. The sword-wielding hero rubbed his back as he realized how sore his whole body was.
“Well, in short, a hospital,” Dr. Calu revealed, “in long, a space station that happens to be a hospital. Thankfully, it was on the edge of the same solar system as the previous, far less hospitable space station. I don’t blame you for forgetting, you weren’t exactly conscious for most of our trip.”
“Did one of the doctor’s patch me up?” Gira checked over himself, recalling the injuries he sustained from the mysterious beasts.
“No, you just sort of healed on your own,” Dr. Calu explained. “The medical science here blows our own out of the water, but even they were shocked by how fast you healed. Must be that sword again.”
“I guess,” Gira felt the sword still buckled to his side until he remembered why they came in the first place. “Wait, what about the alien girl?”
“She’s with the doctors now, but,” Dr. Calu hesitated, “I think you should see for yourself.”
~--~
The setup of the alien hospital room certainly reminded Gira of those back on Earth, but only partially. The bed was circular, and the medical machinery seemed to cover each and every nook and cranny of the room. However, their only view into the room were hexagonal windows. The alien girl was strapped to the center of the bed, with dozens of tubes sticking out of her. Her body was still mid-transformation, her arms resembled those of the mysterious beasts that did this to her. It appeared the rest of her body was following suit.
The doctor seemed to be a male of the same species, with a slightly darker shade of blue skin and full-sized horns sticking out of his head. The alien spoke to Gira and Dr. Calu, however since he lacked the translation probes, Gira couldn’t glean much from the conversation. The black-haired man’s heart raced as he waited for Calu to tell him what was going on.
“Basically, Gira,” the scientist began, “the doctor says there is only so much they can do. This is a rare disease that has only been successfully cured a few times, and usually at a much earlier stage. It would be costly to get the materials needed to synthesize the cure, and that’s if they’re available.”
“Is there nothing we can do?” Gira asked. Dr. Calu relayed the question to the doctor, who quickly replied.
“The doctor says there might be one way,” Calu relayed the information. “The disease comes from a planet called Miron, it’s on the same side of the solar system as the other space station.”
“Miron?” The name resonated with Gira, but he couldn’t figure out why.
“The station had probably sent an expedition to the planet. When they returned home, they must have brought the disease back with them,” the scientist continued. “Apparently, the cure can be created with a variety of plants found on the planet. They'll also need a blood sample from one of the native creatures who spread the disease. If we could acquire them, then saving her becomes a lot more feasible.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” Gira stated. “Get a list, and some pictures of those plants, and let's head there right now,” the sword-wielding hero turned and walked away.
“Huh, same old George,” Calu shrugged before turning back to the doctor and explaining his friend’s plan.
~--~
As Gira sat in the back of their spaceship, he drifted in and out of consciousness. Every time he closed his eyes, he could see that same jungle planet and its giant animals again. With each passing moment, Gira felt himself drawn more and more towards that giant lion with a mane of fire. He was so enraptured by these visions he could barely here Dr. Calu talking to him.
“You still with me?” The scientist asked.
“Sorry, I’m still a little tired,” Gira apologized.
“Don’t worry, we still have a few hours before we get there,” Dr. Calu assured, “take a nap if you need it.”
“Thanks,” Gira leaned back into his seat. “The doctors say anything about this Miron planet?”
“Only that it was filled with massive, dense jungles. Hundreds of continent-spanning mountains. In addition to the most volatile weather in the system,” Dr. Calu answered. “Or at least, that’s what I gleaned in between them, begging us not to go.”
“Not surprising,” the black-haired man yawned. “Anything else?”
“Only that those infectious beasts we encountered on the space station would be the least of our worries,” the scientist continued. “Apparently, the planet is filled with giant animals the size of buildings.”
“Giant animals?” Gira recalled his visions. “You learn anything about them?”
“Not much,” Calu shook his head, “they would only warn me about them. Never got a chance to get any more details between preparing to leave and them pleading with us to stay.”
“I guess it’ll have to be a surprise then,” Gira sighed and closed his eyes.
“So, why are you going so far out your way to help this girl you’ve only just met?” Dr. Calu asked his friend.
“Because it’s the right thing to do. Do I need a reason beyond that?” Gira stated without opening his eyes. “Besides, she helped us send that last beast out of the airlock. I’d say saving her life is the least we could do.”
“Never change, my friend,” Dr. Calu chuckled. Gira drifted back to sleep and into more visions of the planet of giant animals.
~--~
The duo landed on the planet Miron several hours later. Having traced a signal, which led them to an abandoned expedition base. Just like they were warned, the planet was filled with massive jungles and seemingly endless mountain ranges. The weather had changed from sunny to storming and back again within ten minutes. They hadn't encountered any giant animals or the beast from before, but the two remained on guard regardless.
“So they were right, there was an expedition,” Gira noted as they walked into the base. To the aliens who built it, it was likely a modest setup, but to the earthlings, it was a wonder of technology. It was a series of octagon-shaped structures of a module nature, with one central octagon linked to smaller ones by hexagon-shaped corridors. However, the building was also heavily damaged.
Windows were shattered, and one of the corridors was ripped in half. One of the octagons had even completely collapsed in on itself. The base also appeared to have been abandoned in a hurry. Several doors were left wide open, and supplies were left scattered haphazardly. Yet, despite the fact it was likely abandoned no more than a week or two ago, the vegetation had already begun to overtake it.
“Alright, let’s-” Dr. Calu began to say before Gira held him back.
“Hold on, it’s too quiet,” Gira stated as he gripped the hilt of his sword. “Give me a second,” the swordsman stepped forward, ready to strike. “Don’t think I can’t see you back there,” Gira exclaimed as he chucked a rock through one of the open doors.
Suddenly, a familiar-looking alien beast burst out from the base. With claws outstretched, it leaped in an arc, flying right over Gira, who ducked and swiftly cut the creature in a single motion. The alien creature crumbled to the ground, while Dr. Calu looked forward in awe.
“Amazing, Gira,” the scientist complimented.
“Don’t be amazed, I made a serious error,” Gira sighed. “It wasn’t going for me, it was aiming for you. It probably realized I wasn’t easy prey, so it charged me expecting me to dodge, so it could get to you and ‘recruit’ some help. What it didn’t count on was my speed.”
“I’ll say, I didn’t even see you swing your sword,” Dr. Calu replied, “but thanks for saving my skin again.”
“Don’t mention it,” the black-haired man smiled.
~--~
The duo explored the abandoned expedition base for a while, salvaging whatever they could. They regrouped inside the remains of one of the secondary octagons, which was filled with maps, charts, and other data. Dr. Calu diligently poured through the information inside the room. The further he went, the more ecstatic the blonde man became.
“Such rich and detailed explanation of this ecosystem,” the scientist gushed. “I’d have loved to be part of this expedition, at least until the monsters showed up.”
“What about your dreams of building better spaceships?” Gira joked.
“My friend, I am a doctor of science, my dream is to master all pursuits,” Dr. Calu beamed with pride. “Just call me a modern-day renaissance man.”
“Sure, sure,” Gira shook his head, “but what have you found?”
“We hit the jackpot,” Dr. Calu exclaimed. “They already have most of the plants we’re looking for inside this base. And, thanks to you, we already have a blood sample of one of the beasts. Now there’s only one plant, a rare flower, left to find, and they have a map pointing out where it commonly grows.” The scientist clicked a few buttons on a nearby computer, which printed out said map. “Let’s see, it’s a bright red flower, about the size of your hand. It only grows along the mountainside, and it’s in a region several kilometers north of here.”
“Good, then we’ll hop on the ship and grab it quickly,” Gira nodded.
“Uh, oh,” Calu double-checked the map, “that might be an issue.”
“What is it?” The swordsman was concerned.
“Looks like that region is host to most of the volatile weather we heard about,” the scientist explained. “There’s a warning here to not fly spaceships around there. Something about the magnetic fields screwing with instruments, worse yet, it looks like there are plenty of giant animal sightings in the region. Birds, apes, bulls, and even a lion.”
“Lion?” Gira muttered to himself, “could it be?”
“You say something,” his friend asked.
“Looks like I’ll just have to set out on foot then,” Gira declared, “fly me in as close as you can, and I’ll brave the dangers.”
“By yourself, are you insane?” Dr. Calu was shocked. “Based on the information I read here, it’d be suicide to go in there with a small army, let alone by yourself. Give me some time, I’ll build something up to make this easier.”
“Doc, we don’t have the time or the resources to do that,” Gira argued. “Trust me,” he patted the sword at his side, “this is the only way we can save that poor girl.”
“Fine, if that’s your decision,” Dr. Calu sighed. “Come with me, I’ll spruce up your old space suit to protect you from the environment.” The duo set out for their ship, knowing there was a long day ahead of them both.
To Be Continued...
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